"Cheryl" <> wrote > I've never mastered the art of bread making but have
been trying some
> lately since getting my new oven. I made some crusty french bread the
> other day and the recipe I used made two big loaves so one is in the
> freezer after the second raising but is uncooked. The first loaf turned
> out really good but not light. Is french bread supposed to be that way?
> Very little in the way of holes but there were some in the seams. I used
> a method that said to pinch all of the seams including the ends.
>
> How exactly do you knead bread? My ball didn't turn out smooth like the
> picture before I let it rise for an hour, actually a bit more, but it more
> than doubled. I let it rise another half hour after forming the loaves.
> I guess french bread will be different since there is no oil or eggs.
>
> What's a good method for kneading?
Just maybe my personal opinion but no. French bread isn't supposed to be
light; it has some 'tooth' or chewy sort of texture. Just right for
creating a po'boy or that sort of sandwich. If mine happen to rise so that
they have some fluffy insides, I pinch them out and save them for the
bluejays. Polly